We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams, …..
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song’s measure
Can trample a kingdom down.
-Arthur O’Shaughnessy
We thought this poem appropriate to honor MLK today. He was a man with a dream. One that should seem natural and normal in this world, but unfortunately is not. That all men shall be treated equal. Mr. King led the nonviolent civil rights movement in the 60’s and 70’s in America promoting that all men and women should be judged by their qualities and not by the color of their skin. He organized and led marches for Blacks’ right to vote, desegregation and labor rights. We all know his famous “I Have a Dream” speech that he delivered to 250,000 people at Lincoln Memorial that inspired millions for generations to come! He helped laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to pass into legislation. The Civil Rights Act states that all men receive equal protection of the laws and the Voting Rights Act which includes everyone with the right to vote. His sole purpose in life was to fight for social and economic justices. It’s impressive to note that During his movement from December 1955- April 1968 Black Americans achieved more progress than they had in the previous 350 years (The King Center).
As much as we would like to think that everyone is treated equally in the United States, there is still much work to be done. We’ve recently seen movements, such as the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter come to light due to systemic racism practices. To honor King’s memory, the best thing that we can do as a country is to start by improving equality within our own communities and workplaces. This can mean teaching, living and inspiring others to treat others equally through words and actions. It can also mean promoting DEI within your company by creating policies to support these topics. It’s also important to identify and prevent unconscious biases in the workplace. There’s a test you can take conducted by Harvard to see if you have any hidden biases. Let’s all work together to keep progressing civil rights in America!
